The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for determining aircraft operational parameters and enhancing aircraft operation.
Aircraft may fly a variety of trajectories along one or more routes. However, inefficiencies associated with operation of the aircraft, such as improper trim, engine performance degradation, and excessive drag due to external surface wear, may reduce the performance of the aircraft. Accordingly, operational parameters, such as fuel usage, flight time, and flight cost, among others, may be degraded. Unfortunately, because the operational parameters may be influenced by external factors, such as variations in the trajectories, weather conditions, aircraft weight, and/or other factors, it is typically difficult to identify the actual performance inefficiencies by examining variations in the operational parameters. In addition, present systems lack techniques to determine the operational parameters with sufficient accuracy to identify the inefficiencies. For example, if an aircraft consumes more fuel than expected, it may be difficult to determine whether the cause of the extra fuel usage was an uncontrollable external factor (e.g., a strong headwind) or aircraft performance inefficiency (e.g., improper trim). As a result, aircraft may be operated for long periods with undetected inefficiencies, thereby increasing costs associated with aircraft operations.